Council red lights Rouge Lounge

A long-time club on Water Street that's been vacant for years will remain so, at least for the near future.

The space at 530 N. Water St. has not been without its troubles in the past, featuring shootings, parking problems and other external and internal strife.

Downtown Ald. Bob Bauman is concerned that would happen there again and opposed a plan by Heide Beste to reopen the joint as a club / lounge called Rouge Lounge.

"The place has had in the least a troubled past," he said.

Beste, 30, told the city Licenses Committee she wanted to open the place for fashion shows and music shows. She said she was looking for an investment and thought the place was a great location and that she could add something to the Downtown scene.

The bar was formerly known as Lex and AJ's, among other names. Beste said she surveyed the neighbors and they liked what her plan was.

But Bauman countered that that wasn't what he heard from neighbors and also questioned whether Beste could handle the job. She most recently was a cosmetologist and has been a bartender, cocktail waitress and cook before.

"I can't support a cabaret license for someone that has no experience," he said. "A bar is not a beauty shop or a hair salon."

But Beste said, "let's face it, business is business," and her other experience should be considered. "I've done my homework."

Neighbor Donald Arenson, who lives and owns several buildings on the corner of Broadway and Michigan said the neighborhood can't take another club.

Arenson regularly shows up to the committee with videotapes of street chaos, fights, shouting and other unruly behavior when clubs in the area close. Most recently, the club at 618 N. Water known as the Ladybug Club or L:ive 618, was a cause of commotion in the area.

"It's a total nightmare Downtown in that area from the nightclubs," he said.

So for now, the space remains a large vacancy on Water Street, between Clybourn and Michigan.

In other committee actions:

• Longtime owners of the Comet Café Scott Johnson and Leslie Montemurro were given approval to head south into Bay View and open a bar/restaurant on Kinnickinnic Ave. The pair owns six restaurants in the city, including Palomino in Bay View. The café was given approval to settle in the space former occupied by the Annona Bistro at 2643 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.
• The venerable Liquid Johnny's, 540 S. 76th St., was given a 30-day suspension beginning May 8 after getting busted serving underage drinkers.
• Asian Moon, 3419 W. Forest Home Ave., found itself back on the suspension list. The place was suspended last year, too, and after the committee heard testimony about from Ald. Bob Donovan that the place was attracting violence because it continued to play hip-hop music. Similar arguments were heard last year. Owner May Y. Xiong promised to stop playing hip-hop. The committee suspended the license for 15 days beginning May 12 if the Common Council approves.